The Sovereign Of This Country Is Called
Bendian, Or Dadian, And Is In Possession Of Two Fortified Towns Near The
Sea, One Of Which Is Called Vathi, Or Badias, And The Name Of The Other
Is Savastopol[6].
Besides these he has several other castles and fortified
rocks.
The whole country is stony and barren, and millet is the only kind
of grain that it produces. They get their salt from Kaffa. They manufacture
some dark coarse stuffs, and are a gross and barbarous people. In this
country Tetarti signifies white, and the word is likewise used to
denote silver coin: thus likewise the Greeks call silver money Aspro[7],
the Turks Akeia, and the Kathayans Teugh, all of which words signify
white; and hence, both in Venice and in Spain, certain silver coins are
all called bianchi, which has the same signification.
We must now give some account of Georgiana, Georgia, or Gurgistan, which
lies opposite to the last mentioned places, and borders on Mingrelia. The
king of Georgia is called Pancratius, and is sovereign of a delightful
country, which produces bread, corn, wine, cattle, and all other fruits of
the earth in great abundance; and they train up their vines around trees as
in Trebisond. The people are very handsome and well made, but they have the
most horrid manners, and the worst customs of any people I ever met with.
Their heads are shaved, except a few hairs all around, like our rich
abbots; and they wear whiskers, six inches long.
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